Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Watch

Antiquorum's continuing record breaking auctions are reflecting and establishing the booming market for rare & luxury timepieces. Besides the highest price achieved by the Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon for $1.2 million dollars at the recent New York auction, there was the fascinating Royal Oak Concept watch by Audemars Piguet. Produced in a series of 150 between 2002-2004, selling for $155,000, with nearly all pre-sold and nearly impossible to find nowadays. The June, 2007 price topped $232,000.

At the time one of Audemars Piguet’s most complicated watches and most innovative model. Entirely developed and built by AP’s subsidiary Renaud & Papi, the “CW 1” concept watch celebrates 30 years of “Royal Oak” history and breaks new ground with its highly unusual technical features;

Instantaneous "Dynamograph" mainspring torque indicator.

Electro-erosion formed titanium shock absorbers to protect the tourbillon cage - shock resistance to multiple G's (rumored to be 50) well beyond the shock tolerance of the human body.

A clutch system with mode pusher and indicator to wind the watch or change the time.

An innovative linear power reserve indicator, which is calibrated for the number of turns the barrel makes (one barrel rotation equals circa 6 hours of operation).

The watch case is machined from Alacrite 602, a new super-alloy used in aero-technology and medical applications. It consists of 57% Cobalt, 31% Chrome, 5% Tungsten and trace amounts of Carbon, Silicon and Iron. The material is extremely hard (Vickers Rate of 430).

The caliber 2896 is not based on any previous movement blank or ebauche, not even as a starting point. Completely and radically new, "from the ground up," every major structure, plate, sub-system and assembly is conceived and produced in-house.